Housing Assistance Corporation hires new director

When Noelle McKay graduated with a degree in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she wasn't sure the direction her life would take.

Joey Millwood

When Noelle McKay graduated with a degree in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she wasn't sure the direction her life would take. That changed when her sister, Kate, was in a serious car accident on Interstate 26 in the summer of 1995. The accident brought Noelle McKay back home. That year, she began a year of service through Americorps Vista at a nonprofit in Hendersonville, the Housing Assistance Corp.Her sister recovered well from the accident, but McKay's one-year commitment turned into 17 years with the nonprofit. In December, McKay became HAC's new executive director.The promotion, she said, “is big. “It's very exciting to have been here such a long time.”The new director was celebrating her 40th birthday on Thursday and will usher in a year of birthday festivities for the nonprofit. This year, HAC turns 25. “It's a celebration of so many people's efforts through the years,” McKay said.She has been there through the bulk of those 25 years as well. After her year in Americorps Vista, she became a housing counselor. She worked directly with families who were interested in moving from rental homes to owning their own homes.“I liked getting to know our community,” McKay said. “There's always more to know and understand.”She then began working as the nonprofit's director of resource development. McKay was good at writing grants.In her eight years as a counselor, she heard many clients' stories which inspired her to seek funds for a cause she knew was worthy. “I was good at writing grants because I understood what I was writing about,” she said.She was director of resource development until Dec. 15, when the executive director's position was offered to her. In her new job, there is plenty of work to do, and McKay has plenty of goals. “We want to continue to develop more apartments for the community,” she said. “There's a need.”As for housing, McKay wants to take a look at it in a different way.“We're interested in developing pocket neighborhoods,” she said. And beyond that, “we also want to work with special needs' groups,” she said. The nonprofit will take a look at affordable housing for that segment of the population.McKay has seen what the nonprofit can do from start to finish. She's seen the families who come through the door. She's found the money so that the nonprofit can continue to do what it does. Now she wants to guide it into the future, and to do that, she's not looking past the faces and the stories that have made the nonprofit what it is today, she said.Because of her length of service with HAC, she understands what the nonprofit can do in people's lives, and that is where her passion lies, she said.“You really get to see the long-term implications and what people decide to do with their lives since you've met them,” McKay said. “People make different decisions. It's just fascinating, and you're excited for them.”But no matter what success McKay has found, she never loses sight of what makes the nonprofit successful.“It's not about me,” she said. “It's about everyone here.”Reach Millwood at 828-694-7881 or at joey.millwood@blueridgenow.com.